White elated as Bulls secure Louw for the long haul: 'A certain future Springbok'

The 22-year-old will keep plying his trade in Pretoria for the next five years after extending his contract until 2027.

Louw, a former Junior Springbok, has been one of the star performers for the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and is tipped by many for higher honours.

"We cannot stress the importance of reaching this landmark agreement with one of the best talents in South Africa at the moment," Bulls director of rugby Jake White said in a statement.  

"It is not often that, in this competitive era, we see players committing to long-term contracts like Elrigh has done. This is important not only for the Bulls, where Elrigh is set to grow and become an integral part of the team, but also for South African rugby.  

"We believe that Elrigh is a certain future Springbok, who can go on to play many Test matches for the Boks. It is also great to see such talent choosing to remain in South Africa despite being sought-after by some of the top clubs globally."

URC log

We are proud to announce that Elrigh Louw will remain a Vodacom Bull for the foreseeable future ?? He has signed a 5 year contract extension with us ??#TrueToTheBlue pic.twitter.com/0vzRtO9roj

Meanwhile, Afrikaans newspaper Rapport reported over the weekend that the Bulls were busy negotiating deals with fullback Kurt-Lee Arendse and flyhalf Johan Goosen, both for contracts until 2027.

Arendse, 25, has been red-hot in the URC - he's made the most clean breaks in the competition (16) and is second in the metres gained category (694m), trailing only team-mate Madosh Tambwe's 724m.

The Bulls are also hard at work in retaining the services of Tambwe, who has been linked with a move to France.